This paper investigates rich combustion of n-heptane, diesel oil, kerosene and rapeseed-oil methyl ester (RME) bio-diesel for the purpose of producing syngas ready for the clean-up stages for fuel-cell applications or for traditional combustor enrichment. Rich flames have been stabilised in a two-layer inert porous medium combustor and a range of equivalence ratios and porous materials have been examined. n-heptane was successfully reformed up to an equivalence ratio of 3, reaching a conversion efficiency (based on the lower heating value of H(2) and CO over the fuel input) up to 75% for a packed bed of alumina beads. Similarly, diesel, kerosene and bio-diesel were reformed to syngas in a Zirconia foam burner with conversion efficiency over 60%. A preliminary attempt to reduce the content of CO and hydrocarbons in the reformate has been also conducted using commercial steam reforming and water-gas shift reaction catalysts, obtaining encouraging results. Finally, soot emission has been assessed, demonstrating particle formation for diesel oil above phi = 2, whereas bio-diesel showed the lowest soot formation tendency among all the fuels tested. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.